Conservative or Liberty Patriot?

Every day I am becoming more and more concerned about politics and the political conversation going on in America. Now, I am not concerned that the conversation happens; that’s a good thing. I am concerned about the topic of the conversation called “conservatism”. Conservative by definition is a political and social philosophy that promotes retaining traditional institutions and supports, at most, minimal and gradual change in society, one favoring traditional views and values. When you interpret conservatism this way it can fit almost everyone. I have not met one self-professed conservative who disagrees with this definition so why is there a battle going on about who is a “real” conservative, or a “true” conservative or even just a conservative? The answer is that conservatism is a political philosophy or attitude and has little or nothing to do, per se, with political activity.

Conservatism as a philosophy is a moving target. Let’s take for example someone purchasing a new TV. One person looks at their budget and sees that they can buy a used TV for cash or a new big screen TV on payments. When looking at this purchase decision; what would be the “conservative” position? Buying the TV for cash I would presume. Now, the same person makes the argument that the used TV probably won’t last as long as the new TV so being a wise consumer purchasing the new one (forget the fact it is twice the size of the used one) is the best use of their money therefore a conservative decision. Could this be considered a “conservative” decision? You see conservatism is a relative philosophy and can be applied to even bad decisions. So, claiming to be a conservative does little to define who a person really is, nor does it predict what that person will do. Yet in politics we are spending a considerable amount of time defining who is a “real” conservative and then engaging in conversations about conservatism and we ignore the fact that conservatism is a relative philosophy. This is why politically we are getting nowhere and the very thing we are trying to preserve, traditional institutions, are vanishing away. We must change the conversation.

Changing the conversation is easier said than done for several reasons. The most important reason has to do with the human psyche. We have for years been told there are two political philosophies, conservatism and liberalism and we have not only divided ourselves into these two camps but have doggedly defended our position. This creates an environment where we can live our lives according to the standards we set for ourselves, yet be aligned with the broader political group called conservatives. Because conservatism is a moving target, we begin to try and define conservatism according to particular issues that are important to us individually. Issues such as abortion, guns, education are all groups that we rally around while still calling ourselves “conservatives”. But, here comes the dilemma, the people who agree with us on a particular issue may not be conservative, but can also be liberal or moderate in political philosophy. So the issue that becomes what we consider to be “real or true” conservatism in actuality dilutes the definition of conservatism. In an attempt to keep this conversation “real” I must also state that you could substitute the words liberal or moderate for conservative and it would not change the point I am attempting to make. The point is that we have to take a very hard look at what is the “defining” challenges we have politically and how are we going to overcome them.

So what is the challenge? First we must determine what we want politically. We should be able to agree that electing “conservatives” into office is not the answer. We have seen the frustration that comes from electing self-proclaimed conservatives and realizing their idea of conservatism is not our idea of conservatism. So the first step in the process is to “define” who we are and what we want to accomplish. I am a conservative by definition (retaining traditional institutions); but what traditional institution am I trying to retain? I am a Patriot; I believe like our forefathers believed that we must make a stand to establish Liberty as the defining issue in the United States. I believe that our US Constitution is our defining document, establishing the structure in which our government should operate. But the ultimate question is why was our government created? You already know the answer, it is found in the Preamble of the US Constitution, “We the Peopleof the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

The Preamble to the United States Constitution is an introductory statement of the Constitution’s fundamental purposes and guiding principles. It states the Founding Fathers’ intentions regarding the Constitution’s meaning and what they hoped the Constitution would achieve. It can be broken down into two specific parts; the first is what the Constitution is to do specifically and the second is why it was written. This is a very important distinction to understand. People have spent decades debating the how and have forgotten the why. In my humble opinion the single most important statement is, “secure the Blessings of Liberty”. Liberty is why our nation is created, it is what our government is supposed to do and it is what we the people are supposed to do. The Declaration of Independence was written to express the intent of the people which was and should still be “the Right of the People” and their duty to alter, change and even abolish government if it does not, secure our rights in other words Liberty.

So, let’s get back to the main topic defining who we are and what we are to do. Broadly, I can be considered conservative (retaining traditional institutions). Narrowing the definition I can be considered a constitutional originalist. But chasing the rabbit all the way to the whole I am considered a Liberty Patriot wholeheartedly committed to defend Liberty. Why must it be defended you may ask? The true measure of the value you place on Liberty is not what you are willing to do to protect your own Liberty, but rather what you are willing to do to protect the Liberty of others. Liberty is the permission we have to live our lives as we choose. Freedom is the measure of Liberty we are willing to give up to protect the Liberty of others. The strength of our nation is measured by the balance between Liberty and Freedom. This balance is tipped every time our government places its foot of control on either side of the balance. If you/we protect only our side, the individual Liberty side alone, the government will place its foot on the opposite side oppressing the Liberty of others (Freedom). Liberty and Freedom upon which our nation balances, will only survive if we cast of the foot of government off on both sides of the balance. This is the defining struggle we are facing today.

So, the solution is to begin to change how we define ourselves, whether it be as conservatives, liberals, moderates our any other political philosophy and start defining ourselves as Liberty Patriots. We must start making every discussion regardless of the issue about Liberty. If we are going to restore America back to its foundational principles and constitutional roots we must return to Liberty. Our nation is in the middle of a presidential election and I am amazed at how little the conversation revolves around Liberty. We are hearing from all sides what the newly elected will do for us. It is NOT the function of government to do anything; it is supposed to protect Liberty. If that is the proper role of government why are we allowing any other conversation to take place? The truth of the matter is, that the government we allowed to grow is the government that provides instead of protects. This is why we MUST change the conversation and it begins with you. So make every conversation you have about Liberty. When people ask you; what are you? Do not answer, conservative, Republican or any other name other than you are a “Liberty Patriot” dedicated to protecting individual liberty and protecting the Liberty of others. De Oppresso Liber!